Washington

  • April 24, 2026

    Alaska Airlines Escapes Suit Over Hawaiian Merger, For Now

    A Hawaiian federal judge on Friday dismissed a private antitrust lawsuit that challenged Alaska Airlines' 2024 acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, rejecting the passengers' asserted geographic markets and their contention that the merger would lead to anticompetitive effects in the markets.

  • April 24, 2026

    Justices To Focus On Alien Tort Statute In Cisco Spying Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case on Tuesday with implications for U.S. companies doing business with foreign governments, and decide whether the Ninth Circuit was right to reinstate an Alien Tort Statute suit alleging that Cisco Systems Inc. helped the Chinese government's allegedly unlawful crackdown on the Falun Gong religious movement.

  • April 24, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Insurance Allure, People Pinch, Blackstone

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including an alluring source of capital for real estate investment trusts, how competition for skilled workers may hamper data center development, and Blackstone Inc.'s take on the first quarter of the year.

  • April 24, 2026

    Wash. Judge Reprimanded For Getting Too Close To Clerk

    The Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct reprimanded a King County District Court judge Friday for having an inappropriate relationship with a clerk, who reported that he hugged her during a private meeting in his dimly lit chambers, asked her questions about personal matters, and offered her a massage.

  • April 24, 2026

    Akin Can't 'Recast' Appeal As Good-Faith Effort, 9th Circ. Told

    A European winemaker slammed attempts by a U.S. importer and its Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP attorneys to "recast a frivolous appeal as a good-faith effort," saying they should have to pay monetary sanctions for pursuing what the Ninth Circuit called a "self-indulgent" appeal of a valid arbitration award.

  • April 24, 2026

    States Seek Early Win In Challenge To Trump Mail-In Ballot EO

    A coalition of Democrat-led states is asking a Massachusetts federal judge to permanently block core provisions of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting mail-in voting, arguing the directive unlawfully encroaches on states' authority over elections and violates the Constitution's separation of powers.

  • April 24, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Renew Wash. Developer's Suit Against County

    A Ninth Circuit panel declined Friday to resurrect a Washington developer's lawsuit accusing Whatcom County officials of violating its constitutional rights by scaling back a housing development plan, concluding that the firm hasn't shown a protected stake in the property that it offloaded during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

  • April 24, 2026

    One Certainty As Tariff Refunds Start: 'There Will Be Litigation'

    The launch of the refund process for tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court marks the start of lengthy and multifaceted court battles as companies fight with consumers — and amongst themselves — about who gets a slice of the $166 billion pie, experts told Law360.

  • April 24, 2026

    Union, Google Draws 9th Circuit In Joint-Employer Dispute

    Google and a Communications Workers of America affiliate will go to the Ninth Circuit to present their competing challenges to a National Labor Relations Board decision ordering the company to bargain with the content creators' union, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled.

  • April 24, 2026

    Compass Looks To Dodge 'Baseless' MLS Counterclaims

    Compass Inc. urged a Washington federal court to toss a multiple listing service's "baseless" and "conclusory" counterclaims against the real estate brokerage's antitrust suit, which alleges that the MLS' property listing rules are anticompetitive.

  • April 24, 2026

    Ex-Intel Workers Urge Justices To Revive 401(k) Fund Suit

    Former Intel employees urged the U.S. Supreme Court to revive their suit alleging their employee 401(k) savings were dragged down by underperforming investments, arguing the Ninth Circuit's requirement that allegations of subpar funds also include a meaningful benchmark for comparison didn't align with federal benefits law.

  • April 24, 2026

    Restaurant Operators Hit With Wage, Break Suit

    Two restaurant operators required workers to perform unpaid off-the-clock duties, denied legally required meal and rest breaks and manipulated time records, according to a proposed class action filed in Washington state court.

  • April 23, 2026

    Expert Must Speak To Ruined Phone Claims In Antitrust Case

    A Washington federal judge said Wednesday that a digital forensics expert who was hired by a former Pilgrim's Pride employee facing bid-rigging allegations must testify in long-running civil antitrust litigation accusing poultry producers of price-fixing, finding the expert may be able to speak to claims that the worker destroyed evidence.

  • April 23, 2026

    Amazon Urges 9th Circ. To Uphold Block On Perplexity AI Bot

    Amazon on Wednesday pressed the Ninth Circuit to leave in place an injunction blocking a startup's artificial intelligence tool, Comet, from purchasing items on Amazon.com, calling the tool "a textbook violation" of federal and state law and arguing that the injunction is backed by a robust record.

  • April 23, 2026

    Humiliated Delta Flyer Asks 9th Circ. For New Trial

    A Delta Air Lines passenger who defecated on himself after he was handcuffed and denied the opportunity to use the bathroom urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to give him another trial after a judge scrapped his $7.2 million verdict, arguing that the court wrongly tossed the verdict after trial.

  • April 23, 2026

    Toplessness Isn't Nudity, Beach Advocates Tell Seattle Court

    A court-ordered plan to crack down on nudity at a Seattle public beach is causing confusion, according to a filing from advocates, with private security guards wrongfully targeting topless beachgoers despite police and park rangers greenlighting bare chests.

  • April 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives County's $162M Environmental Coverage Bid

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a California county's suit seeking coverage of up to $162 million for environmental remediation efforts at an airport, reversing a lower court ruling that the policies were capped by an annual limit.

  • April 23, 2026

    Boeing 737 Max Door Blowout Cases Merged In Wash. Court

    The number of passengers suing Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems over a door plug blowout on a 737 Max airplane has grown by one, with a Washington state court consolidating a lone complaint into the larger case.

  • April 23, 2026

    Alaska Air Credit Union Left Members' Info Exposed, Suit Says

    A Las Vegas woman has lodged a proposed class action against a Washington-based credit union that provides services to Alaska Airlines employees and their families, claiming the financial institution failed to use reasonable security measures to protect members' personal data that was exposed in a cyberattack.

  • April 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Seems Willing To Revive Ex-Seattle Worker's DEI Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared receptive Thursday to reopening a former Seattle employee's suit alleging that the city's workplace diversity program was discriminatory, but strongly pushed back against the federal government's contention that he was improperly held to a higher legal bar because he is white. 

  • April 23, 2026

    Cathay Bank Says Macquarie Hid $100M DTG Rival Acquisition

    Cathay Bank sued Macquarie's asset management arm and the former executives of recycling company DTG Enterprises in Washington federal court Wednesday, claiming they tricked lenders into backing a $540 million buyout by misrepresenting DTG's financial viability and concealing a plan to acquire its largest competitor for $100 million.

  • April 23, 2026

    Huawei's Long-Awaited NY RICO Trial Moved To Fall

    A Brooklyn federal judge on Thursday said the racketeering trial of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. will be delayed from June until September, after prosecutors filed streamlined charges over the weekend in one of two seven-year-old criminal cases the Chinese telecom company faces in the U.S.

  • April 23, 2026

    Judge Questions DOJ Bid To End Suit Over Trans Care Memo

    A Massachusetts federal judge appeared unmoved Thursday by a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer's argument that a suit challenging directives on prosecuting providers of gender-affirming care for transgender children is an abstract debate, noting that some providers have deemed the care too risky and stopped services. 

  • April 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Says New Rotor Parts Reset Clock In Crash Suit

    The Ninth Circuit has reinstated a couple's suit against Robinson Helicopter Co. over the death of their daughter in a helicopter crash, finding that replacement parts for the helicopter reset the 18-year statute of repose.

  • April 23, 2026

    9th Circuit Clash Flares Over Idaho Tribal Land Swap Decision

    The Ninth Circuit's rejection of a global agribusiness' efforts to reverse the invalidation of an Idaho federal land transfer drew the ire of seven Republican-appointed judges, who said in a dissent that the majority is blocking the government's administration of the property that was once owned by an Indigenous nation.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Justices Seem Skeptical Of Curbing SEC Disgorgement

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    Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission presents an opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the disgorgement limits it set six years ago in Liu v. SEC, with recent oral arguments suggesting the court sees disgorgement as an equitable remedy akin to unjust enrichment, say attorneys at Hueston Hennigan.

  • Series

    Officiating Football Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though they may seem to have little in common, officiating football has sharpened many of the same skills that define effective lawyering in management-side labor and employment: preparation, judgment, composure, credibility and ability to make difficult decisions in real time, says Josh Nadreau at Fisher Phillips.

  • Fresenius Ruling May Shift Anti-Kickback Enforcement

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Fresenius v. Bonta suggests that businesses have a First Amendment right to donate to certain charities, even if those donations are motivated by economic self-interest, potentially calling into question years of Anti-Kickback Statute proceedings against pharmaceutical manufacturers for making similar donations, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

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    Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

  • What Employers Should Know About Wash. Noncompete Ban

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    Washington state recently passed one of the most expansive prohibitions on noncompetes in the country, marking a significant shift in the state's approach to restrictive covenants and requiring employers to carefully assess how this change will affect their current and future agreements, say attorneys at Cozen.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

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    Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

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    While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • CFTC Chair's Speech Hints At Innovation-Friendly Policies

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    Remarks made by Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig at the Futures Industry Association's conference last month provided the most comprehensive articulation of his regulatory agenda and signaled a shift in the CFTC's regulatory posture, including a rare focus on agency coordination and support for digital asset innovation, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • 'Made In America' EO May Not Survive Section 230

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in advertising directs the Federal Trade Commission to deem online marketplaces' failure to verify third-party origin claims as unlawful, but such a rule would likely run into Section 230's publisher immunity doctrine, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

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    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

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    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

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    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • What Justices' Review Of Guam Case Will Mean For Permitting

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    In U.S. Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether a federal agency's permit application is a final decision that courts can review — a question whose answer could reshape the timing and strategy of environmental litigation across the federal permitting landscape, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

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